"Thank You for Performing Cancer Surgery Not Done at the Big 5"…Words from a Patient Meeting the Minister

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Minister of Science and ICT, Sang-im Yoo, visited the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences in Nowon-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 12th to inspect the emergency medical site at the Nuclear Hospital along with Jin-kyung Lee, Director of the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences. Photo by Ministry of Science and ICT

"I am very grateful that the cancer surgery, which takes months to wait for at the Big 5 hospitals, was promptly performed at the Wonju Nuclear Hospital."

These were the words of a hospitalized patient to Yoo Sang-im, Minister of Science and ICT, during an on-site inspection of the Wonju Nuclear Hospital located in Nowon-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 12th. The patient expressed gratitude to Minister Yoo for the dedication of the medical staff, saying that the public hospital, Wonju Nuclear Hospital, saved his life. The Wonju Nuclear Hospital, a cancer-specialized hospital, and the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences are public hospitals under the Ministry of Science and ICT.

On that day, ahead of the Chuseok holiday, Minister Yoo toured the emergency room, hospice center, inpatient wards, radiation emergency medical facilities, and exposure dose assessment facilities of the Wonju Nuclear Hospital and the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, checking the emergency medical care situation for severe cancer patients. While maintaining an essential emergency medical care system is important, the Wonju Nuclear Hospital cannot neglect its absolute mission of treating cancer patients.

The hospital explained to Minister Yoo that since the medical crisis, they have accepted and treated 226 cancer patients transferred from 40 advanced general hospitals and regional hospitals. Although the number of patients has increased, the Wonju Nuclear Hospital cannot escape the manpower shortage.

The medical staff rather conveyed that the crisis is an opportunity. A hospital official explained, "In striving to maintain public healthcare, there have been positive effects such as a reduction in deficits."

Jung Sung-chul, Head of Management at the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, reported, "As a cancer-specialized hospital, we are making every effort to maintain the treatment capacity for severe cancer patients," but added, "Since full-time doctors maintain their schedules for outpatient care and surgeries as before, while additionally working emergency room and ward shifts, there is concern about medical staff burnout due to physical limits if the situation prolongs."

Minister Yoo said, "I appreciate the hard work of the medical staff who, with a sense of mission as a public medical institution, accept and treat severe cancer patients transferred from advanced general hospitals," and urged, "Please do your best to maintain the essential medical care system, including the emergency room, during the Chuseok holiday period." Minister Yoo also stated, "As the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences is a medical research institution under the Ministry of Science and ICT, we will do our best to support the stable fulfillment of its role as a public medical institution by newly reflecting the budget to strengthen essential medical capabilities."